Come Home
by Ianua
Summary: Written for the 'Running After Jasper' challenge on 'Twilight challenges'. Set after Bella's birthday party. One-shot. My first twilight fic.


Watching from the long porch of the white house, Esme wondered what to do. She knew somehow that Edward may not be the first person Jasper would choose to console him. In fact, if it was up to Jasper, he would probably rather suffer in silence. If left alone, it seemed that teenage vampires had almost infinite capacity to torture themselves with past misdeeds. As she thought, she leaned forwards against the railings of the porch, scanning the dark wall of trees, waiting for Jasper, Edward, or hopefully both of them to emerge.

After a few minutes, a ghostly white shape emerged from between the trees and fog, moving slowly forward. As the mist ebbed away from the shape, arms, legs, and a head joined it in the form of Edward. His white shirt was sodden from the fog, clinging to his torso. If he could feel the cold, thought Esme, he would really be feeling it now. She paused, to see if Jasper would follow him out of the trees.

A few seconds passed, nobody joined Edward. It had been a bit of a feeble hope anyway. She silently descended the porch steps towards Edward.

'What did he say?'

Edward glanced up at her worried face.

'Not a lot. He thought I'd come to continue our little altercation from earlier. When I said I just wanted to talk, he said he wasn't interested. I'm so sorry; maybe it really was too soon for something like this...'

She smiled wistfully.

'If you love her...'

'I do' He said softly

'...Then it was bound to happen eventually. Especially with the number of accidents she seems to have. I think, even if it's deep down, Jasper would rather see you contented with Bella than anything else.'

Edward looked unsure.

'Go inside' She smiled, touching the damp fabric of his arm affectionately 'I think Carlisle's done, and she's bound to be a bit nervous after Jasper's little episode. Go and look after her'

He nodded gratefully, passing her a long, hooded coat from inside the porch door.

She pulled close it around her, and melted into the surrounding trees.

The mist felt very close now she was among the trees, clinging to her hands and face, dribbling from her eyebrows to fill the contours of her face. Her feet passed noiselessly over the damp covering of branches and pine needles. Her eyes no longer scanned the trees nervously; her calm and focussed gaze was that of someone who could deal with whatever they might find in a dark, misty forest at this time of night.

Far away, the sound of splintering wood crackled through the night. She quickened her pace, though not yet breaking into a run. She didn't want to startle Jasper, but to approach him slowly, like a wounded, agitated animal.

She was getting close now; the sound of cracking rang louder. She came to a small clearing. Several of the trees which flanked the small space were bent in the middle, as though they had been struck by a massive force half-way up their trunks. In the centre of the clearing, on a recently-fallen tree, sat Jasper.

She took her hood down as she approached.

'Hello'

He didn't look up, but continued staring at his knees, his forehead resting on his laced fingers. She walked slowly to stand in front of him

'Are you coming home?'

'Probably a bad idea' He said darkly

'Edward's worried about you, so is Alice, and Bella'

'Why does _she_care?'

'She's convinced this is her fault'

He laughed bitterly 'You'd think I'd be used to this by now, people _bleeding_ everywhere..'

She smiled slightly

'Do you mind?' She indicated the tree on which Jasper sat

'Go ahead...'

She sat down, close, but not touching him.

'I know I can't expect you to come back because of Bella-'

'I didn't say that!' he said stormily

She raised her hand for quiet 'We both know it's true. But maybe Edward, and Alice are worth it? Worth making peace with yourself for?'

He took a deep breath. 'I just can't stand feeling so...helpless. At least when I was human I had some sort of excuse. Back then, I despised weakness still, but it was, to a degree, inevitable. Now I am unbreakable, impenetrable to everything the world can throw at me, but still as helpless as I was when it comes to my own desires'.

Esme didn't answer immediately, but raised her head to survey the clearing, inhaling the smell of pine sap.

'I can't tell you anything that you haven't heard before, other than, it will come. I think that everyone in the room just then, even Edward, even Carlisle, felt the same as you did'

'But they didn't act the way that I did, like an _animal_!'

She smiled sadly 'That's all we're doing really, trying to be...a better kind of animal than the rest of our kind. And all we can do is continue to try, and hope that we can succeed, as in Edward's case, in not hurting those we love, and that it will get easier as time goes by'

Jasper sighed, and rested his head on her shoulder like a sad child. She draped her arm comfortingly around his back, and they sat together, simply drawing comfort from the others presence.

A few minutes passed, and without a word, she got up, looking down at him 'Coming?'

'I suppose...'

'It will be easier if you're not on your own. From what I gather, much like giving up smoking'

He laughed at what seemed such a pitiful analogy, and pulled himself to his feet

'Okay...I'll come home'


End file.
